Mark 4:26-34
Dear Friends, The very first words of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark are about the kingdom of God. “After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)
This message of the kingdom of God is the central teaching of Jesus. It is the conclusion of all the promises of the Old Testament beginning with Abraham and continuing to the prophets.
Most of the parables, like today, begin with the words “the kingdom of God is like…” or something similar. The kingdom is God’s plan for reality. It is the ultimate reversal and transformation of our sinful world. All persons, things, relations and history itself are to be made new according to the law of love and the law of justice. There is a new world coming. Jesus, in his teachings and his life, and most especially in his death and resurrection, unveils that new world of God’s active and creative love fully manifested and permeating all reality.
It is the ultimate reversal and transformation of our sinful world. All persons, things, relations and history itself are to be made new according to the law of love and the law of justice. There is a new world coming. Jesus, in his teachings and his life, and most especially in his death and resurrection, unveils that new world of God’s active and creative love fully manifested and permeating all reality.
Jesus invites us into that new world, the kingdom, by calling us to repent and embrace the gospel. Our entry into the kingdom begins with our repentance and acceptance of the call of Jesus. It starts within us and moves outward to create a world of justice and peace, a new day of reconciliation and unity, of healing and hope.
Today’s parables of the sowing of the seed and the mustard seed tell us something of the kingdom in our life. The journey from the small seed to the life-giving bread seems very improbable. Likewise, it is the same with the growth of the very small mustard seed. “But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” (Mk 4:32)
The meaning of the parables is that the life of God, God’s kingdom, is the seed within us and in all reality. No matter how unlikely it may seem that the law of love is going to win out, we need to be like the farmer. We need to trust in the seed and the process. God is truly at work. We plant the seeds with a life of integrity and authenticity and trust. Yet, we need to be patient and walk in hope of God’s presence, which so often seems so unlikely, if not impossible. In today’s parables, Jesus is telling us that God will eventually produce life beyond our dreams. Patience and trust are the message of Jesus in today’s parables.
God has spoken. Life within the seed will win out against all odds. We need to trust that God is truly with us no matter how hidden in the flow of our daily experience. We need to know that the God Jesus reveals is a God of unconditional love that we neither merit nor deserve but is our gift always and everywhere. While all that life coming from the small seed seems ever so improbable, even more implausible is the gift of the unconditional love of God for us. It is the ultimate and greatest miracle of life. We are the seeds of even richer and more abundant life in God’s kingdom when we walk with Jesus.
This message of the kingdom of God is the central teaching of Jesus. It is the conclusion of all the promises of the Old Testament beginning with Abraham and continuing to the prophets.
Most of the parables, like today, begin with the words “the kingdom of God is like…” or something similar. The kingdom is God’s plan for reality. It is the ultimate reversal and transformation of our sinful world. All persons, things, relations and history itself are to be made new according to the law of love and the law of justice. There is a new world coming. Jesus, in his teachings and his life, and most especially in his death and resurrection, unveils that new world of God’s active and creative love fully manifested and permeating all reality.
It is the ultimate reversal and transformation of our sinful world. All persons, things, relations and history itself are to be made new according to the law of love and the law of justice. There is a new world coming. Jesus, in his teachings and his life, and most especially in his death and resurrection, unveils that new world of God’s active and creative love fully manifested and permeating all reality.
Jesus invites us into that new world, the kingdom, by calling us to repent and embrace the gospel. Our entry into the kingdom begins with our repentance and acceptance of the call of Jesus. It starts within us and moves outward to create a world of justice and peace, a new day of reconciliation and unity, of healing and hope.
Today’s parables of the sowing of the seed and the mustard seed tell us something of the kingdom in our life. The journey from the small seed to the life-giving bread seems very improbable. Likewise, it is the same with the growth of the very small mustard seed. “But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” (Mk 4:32)
The meaning of the parables is that the life of God, God’s kingdom, is the seed within us and in all reality. No matter how unlikely it may seem that the law of love is going to win out, we need to be like the farmer. We need to trust in the seed and the process. God is truly at work. We plant the seeds with a life of integrity and authenticity and trust. Yet, we need to be patient and walk in hope of God’s presence, which so often seems so unlikely, if not impossible. In today’s parables, Jesus is telling us that God will eventually produce life beyond our dreams. Patience and trust are the message of Jesus in today’s parables.
God has spoken. Life within the seed will win out against all odds. We need to trust that God is truly with us no matter how hidden in the flow of our daily experience. We need to know that the God Jesus reveals is a God of unconditional love that we neither merit nor deserve but is our gift always and everywhere. While all that life coming from the small seed seems ever so improbable, even more implausible is the gift of the unconditional love of God for us. It is the ultimate and greatest miracle of life. We are the seeds of even richer and more abundant life in God’s kingdom when we walk with Jesus.
